Chapter 711 A Gentle Man


    When Michelle received a phone call from her parents, she was so ecstatic that she cried out "I love


    you." However, these words did not mean what they truly meant.


    Leon was still shocked by what Michelle had said. He couldn''t fully turn around to see her, just


    enough to catch a glimpse.


    He expected to see Michelle running towards him, but instead saw her staring at her phone.


    Her parents must''ve called her. However, the credit didn''t go to him.


    He had no time to arrange such a surprise.


    "Mom, Dad, I miss you so much!" Michelle cried over the phone. She was doing her best to battle


    the tears welling in her eyes.


    Leon watched from afar and stood still by the door.


    "Mom, what are you doing with Dad? Why don''t you go to bed? It''s sote." Michelle walked into her


    bedroom and gently closed the door.


    "We have just finished our work. We wanted to greet our daughter a happy birthday," Adams,


    Michelle''s father, said.


    "Happy birthday, Michelle!" ine, her mother, chimed in. "You''re 22 years old now. You''re already


    a grown-up!"


    The couple hadn''t talked to their daughter for such a long time. Hearing her voice was enough to


    make their voices crack.


    "I''m sorry, Michelle. We can''t celebrate your birthday with you this year. Don''t be sad, okay? We''ll


    come home soon," ine said.


    "By the end of the year, we will be transferred back to Lexingport City," Adams added.


    "Wow, that''s great!" Sitting on the bed with her legs crossed, Michelle wiped the tears flowing from


    her eyes as her smile grew wider. "Dad, Mom, I''m so d you called me. You seldom had the


    chance before. When you had, we''d only talk for like three minutes."


    "Don''t worry," ine said with a smile. "We can chat for an hour. Actually, it must be James and


    Emma who helped us."


    "It must be them. Mr. Shi invested three hundred million dors in our project," Adams exined.


    Têxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Then I guess it''s them.


    Mom, how are you and Dad? Make sure to eat properly, okay? You don''t wanna lose weight. You


    won''t be as pretty if you do."


    Adamsughed. "With me around, your mom would never lose weight."


    Michelle chuckled too. "Dad, did you make moon cakes for Mom yesterday? I miss the moon cakes


    you made."


    Meanwhile, Leon was still standing on the other side of the door. It was slightly open, enough for


    some light to spill through the narrow crack, which shone on Leon''s shoes and legs.


    He was pleased to hear Michelle sounding so happy, so he left with a smile and closed the door for


    her.


    When Michelle woke up the next day, Leon was no longer there. She checked her phone and saw


    his message. "Sorry, I had to leave early."


    Today marked her first day as a 22-year-old woman.


    She spent the entire morning replying to birthday wishes from friends. From time to time, couriers


    would ring her doorbell and hand her gifts.


    In the afternoon, Lydia and Debra came. With them, they brought a birthday cake, balloons, and


    ribbons.


    Soon after, Aron and her ssmates also arrived. "Austin will be hereter. He just had something


    to deal with," Aron said.


    The whole afternoon was filled with infectiousughter as Michelle decorated the house with the


    others.


    When evening came, James, Emma, and Dora arrived. They brought with them an expensive bottle


    of red wine and ordered take-out food from a high-end restaurant.


    It was already time for dinner, and yet someone was missing.


    "Leon''s not yet here. He''s probably busy." Michelle pouted her lips.


    "Austin won''t make it, either. So will Colby. It seems that both of them are busy with something,"


    Aron said as he put away his phone.


    "Mimi, sit down and let''s have dinner first. Earlier, I saw Uncle Leon go to thepany to meet


    Uncle John. They probably have something important to discuss," James said to ay Michelle''s


    worries.


    "Leon went to see Uncle John? Does it have something to do with Nini?" Michelle said as she


    pulled the chair next to Emma. "When will Ninie back? Is she going to bring the kids with her?


    Have you seen their photos? Do they look super cute? Who do they look like more? Nini or Uncle


    John?"


    James rubbed his temple and shook his head in resignation. "Why do you have so many


    questions?"


    "She can''t stop speaking when ites to Nina. I''ve never seen her care about me so much ever,"


    Emma said with jealousy and nced at Michelle. "Actually we don''t know when Nina wille


    back."


    "We all want to know, but Uncle John doesn''t tell us anything," Dora said.


    "Well, let''s not talk about her then. Today is Mimi''s birthday. Let''s focus on the birthday celebrant."


    Then, James raised his ss for a toast. "Together, let''s wish Mimi a happy birthday!"


    "Happy Birthday!" Everyone cheered happily as they all raised their sses.


    Michelle was already very happy with her birthday celebration. Little did she know, there was


    another surprise waiting for her outside the door.


    While everyone was enjoying dinner, the doorbell rang twice.


    "Who is it? Is it Austin?"


    "Maybe it''s Colby? Or maybe they came together."


    "It must be Leon. I''ll open the door." Debra stood up, but Michelle grabbed her shoulder.


    "Let me open the door!" Michelle thought it might be Leon, so she wanted to see him first before


    anyone else. "I''ll go. You''re all my guests so you should enjoy yourselves."


    Lydia and Debra looked at each other and covered their mouths to hide their giggles. They knew


    what Michelle was thinking of and what she was expecting.


    Michelle opened the door and was expecting to see Leon.


    However, when she saw her parents, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.


    "Happy birthday, Michelle." ine reached out to hold her daughter.


    "Do you still recognize your mom and me?" Adam said as a soft smile formed on his lips.


    "Dad! Mom!" Michelle rushed to them and gave them a tight embrace. She was such in a hurry that


    she knocked over the cake in her father''s hand by ident. But that didn''t matter. There were still


    several cakes waiting for them at home.


    Everything was so surreal for Michelle that she had a hard time believing if all this was really


    happening. She never expected her parents toe home for her birthday, and yet now, she was


    closer to them than she could ever hope to imagine.


    Michelle and her parents thought it was all James'' idea. They thought that it was because of him


    that Adams and ine could take half the day off, so they thanked him again and again.


    James knew it wasn''t him. All he did was that her parents could call Michelle while they phone call


    was monitored.


    Only John had the power to make all this possible.


    And the only one who could make him do anything was Nina.


    ''Did Uncle Leon ask help from Uncle John to make this happen?''


    The more James thought about it, the more likely he believed it was true. After all, he had


    personally seen Leon go to the Time Group to meet John.


    Leon had been keeping a low profile in Lexingport City. If James hadn''t known Bryant had


    something to do with Leon, he wouldn''t have seen through Leon''s lies.


    He wanted to tell Michelle that Leon wasn''t poor at all, but John told him not to get involved. After


    all, it was Leon''s own business.


    So James didn''t exin, and Michelle''s family continued to thank him.


    After dinner, Michelle lit the candles and made a wish. Then, she cut the cake evenly and


    distributed it to everyone present.


    Someone stood up and wiped some of the cream on Michelle''s face. Then, people fought over the


    cakes as merryughter echoed across the four walls.


    Soon after, her friends began to leave one by one, and the house grew quiet.


    Michelle was so tired. After taking a shower, she fell asleep.


    While she was asleep, Adams and ine sneaked into their daughter''s room. They ced a letter


    beside her and left reluctantly.


    There were two cars parked by the curb. Adams and ine got in the car at the front, while Leon


    was sitting in the car behind them.


    The moon was at its peak, and aside from the chirping of crickets and the rustling of autumn leaves,


    everything else was quiet.


    "Mr. Lu, are we going back now?" Charles, the driver, looked at the car in front of them and waited


    for his boss''s signal.


    "No." Leon leaned back and closed his eyes for a while. "Stay here and take a nap. You can leave


    in the morning and have a good sleep. You''ll have the day off tomorrow."


    "Mr. Lu, I''m fine. But do you really want to stay here in the car for the whole night?"


    "Yes." Leon pinched his nose to jolt him back awake. "Michelle had a good time tonight. When she


    wakes up and find that there is no one else home, she''ll feel lonely."


    "Mr. Lu, you can go back to have a proper rest and thene back at dawn,"


    Charles suggested.


    "No. I can''t get up early in the morning if I go back to sleep now." He didn''t want Michelle to wake up


    in the morning and realize that she was alone.


    Charles sigh and looked down. He was ashamed. Both of them were men, yet he could never be as


    gentle as Leon.